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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662368">Contagious Chemistry</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrelhan/pseuds/squirrelhan'>squirrelhan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Goth Minho, Lee Minho | Lee Know is Whipped, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Smoking, Some Swearing, eboy jisung</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:18:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,955</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrelhan/pseuds/squirrelhan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Minho is a young music artist, and has never felt the need to be in a relationship. Love and expressing his feelings annoys him. But what if he finds himself stuck in an apartment with Jisung, a complete stranger who is the complete opposite of him?</p><p>What if he finds the chemistry that arises between them rather contagious than annoying?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>110</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wahh I am so excited to finally post this fic! Credits to @autcmnleaves bc we came up with this idea together</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Bro, I still can't believe you're going to play at a festival??"</p><p>Minho chuckled while Felix, his best friend, wrapped his arms around him. "Yeah, haha, I am. But please stop hugging me. I don't like being hugged in public", he replied, trying to push Felix away. After a while, Felix finally let Minho go and pouted.</p><p>"But why do you let me hug you for 30 minutes when we're at home..." he jokingly whined. "That's because you're clingy and you trick people into hugging you, Lix", Changbin said and stepped forward, also giving Minho a hug.</p><p>Changbin is Minho's other best friend and Felix's boyfriend. They all met at a party Minho was invited to. Their love for alternative music and the fact that they all smoke is what got them together at first. Minho usually spends the weekend lounging at Changbin's and Felix's place, smoking cigarettes in the evening sun and jamming on their guitars.</p><p>"Please, send us a lot of pictures. I'm curious to see how it looks", Changbin said as he let Minho go. But he secretly pressed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in Minho's hand. "Bin, I told you I wanted to quit smoking", Minho whispered and wanted to give the cigarettes back, but Changbin only chuckled and shook his head. "You're gonna need it, trust me", he replied and patted Minho's back. "There's your train".</p><p>Minho waved at his friends as he grabbed his bags and stepped into the train. "I'm going to miss you sooo much! Can’t wait to pick you up in three weeks!" Felix laughed, earning a playful slap on his chest from Changbin. "Stop exaggerating!" Minho yelled back before the door of the train closed. He waved again and smiled when he saw his friends walking towards the exit of the train station, holding hands.</p><p>He didn’t want to admit it but yeah, he was going to miss them.</p><p>Minho has never been a person who expresses his feelings a lot. He never had real friends growing up, he was always the weirdo. The silent kid in the back of the classroom, writing songs and drawing doodles in his notebooks during the lessons.</p><p>When he turned fourteen, he found out about rock music. He bought his first guitar, and started posting his covers and self-written songs on Instagram. He slowly got into the world of alternative artists in his city, and that's how he met Felix and Changbin.</p><p>They are exactly what Minho always wanted in a friendship, even more than that. Even though the two are a couple, they never make Minho feel like a third wheel. They're just three friends when they hang out together, giving each other the same amount of attention.</p><p>He thought about his friends as he sat down on the train. It wasn’t too crowded, luckily. His big bag was crammed in the stool next to him. The train departed and Minho stared out of the window, looking at the buildings passing by.</p><p>It was a couple minutes past 2 pm when Minho's train arrived at it’s destination. He peeked through the window and couldn’t help but break into a smile. He was so excited. He quickly messaged Changbin and Felix that he had arrived and left the train station. The weather was amazing, the sun was shining brightly and Minho put on his sunglasses. There's more sunshine here than in his hometown, he thought.</p><p>Minho showed his wristband that he got in the mail to the security guard. He smiled at Minho while opening the gate. The festival took place on a big field. The stage was extremely big and was supported with three big screens, so that even the people in the back could see the performance. Minho was, he had to admit it, very nervous but also extremely excited. He had never performed on such a big stage before.</p><p>He walked up to the enormous stage and stood still in front of it. He stared at it in awe. The staff was still running around, busy with putting up the lights and all kinds of equipment. Minho chuckled. He imagined himself, on that stage. A big audience welcoming him and looking at him. Listening to him. To his voice, to his songs. That would be so cool. And heck, it was going to be reality. He couldn’t believe it. He, Minho, is going to perform on the biggest festival in the region, on his own-</p><p>"You must be Lee Minho?"</p><p>Minho's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a staff member. He took his headphones off and nodded. "Yes, that's me", he said, and looked at the woman in front of him. "Welcome. Thank you that you were able to come this quick. I think it's better if we move ourselves to the cabin where the management of this festival works, so that we can discuss it", she said. Minho frowned, but the woman already started walking. "Discuss what?" Minho asked her, as they arrived at a cabin, right behind the stage. "Oh, wasn't that written in the letter you received?" she asked and turned around.</p><p>Minho felt even more confused. "N-no, I only got a letter saying that I should be here today to get ready for the festival and rehearse", he replied. The woman didn’t reply anymore and she pushed the door of the cabin open.</p><p>The cabin wasn’t that big and the furniture shows that this was a temporary office for the management that organized the festival. A man was sitting behind a brown desk, Minho guessed that he was in his late 20s. "Hello", he said politely. He turned around and noticed that the staff member that brought him to the cabin, had left. "Hello Minho. There are some things we need to discuss with each other. It's about your performance".</p><p>"Oh", Minho started, he took a seat on the chair in front of him and opened his bag, "I have my notes and everything with me and-"</p><p>"We have to change up the whole schedule, which means that you aren't performing on your own anymore".</p><p>Minho abruptly stopped talking and his eyes grew wide. "What?" he asked, slowly putting his notebook back in his bag. "I'm sorry. There is a problem with time and the schedule, it's complicated. Because of that, you'll give a performance with another person. He should be here in any minute", the manager explained.</p><p>Minho didn’t really know what to say. He didn’t even know how to feel. He felt all kinds of things. He felt disappointed, angry and sad. He wanted to stand there and perform on his own. He wanted to do his own thing and not having to worry about teamwork, or being outshined by someone else on the stage. Minho isn't used to performing with someone. He always performs on his own.</p><p>The door opened and Minho turned around. A young boy entered the cabin. He nervously looked around, but smiled slightly as he saw Minho and the manager. "Hello, I'm Jisung", he introduced himself. "Ah, here you are. Minho, this is Jisung, and he's a rapper. Right Jisung?"</p><p>Jisung nodded quickly. "Yes, I'm into alternative rap. Things like that", he explained. Minho looked at him. He is... <em>an</em> <em>eboy</em>. He really doesn't want to put people in boxes, but Jisung... he is an eboy. There's no other way to describe him.</p><p>Minho quickly took the time to scan the boy from head to toe. His hair was dyed in a dark blue-ish color, and on his head was a plain, black beanie. And on top of that, he was wearing the most typical eboy outfit: a white button-up blouse and a black T-shirt, that's tucked inside his black ripped skinny jeans. A belt with chains and even a pair of Vans complete the look.</p><p>Minho doesn't want to judge people based on the way they dress, but he doesn't like eboys. He kind of hates them. They act like they're emo's but in reality aren't emo's, according to him. He groaned. He wasn’t feeling this at all.</p><p>"So, Jisung, this is the boy you'll be performing with in two weeks", the manager said and smiled at Minho. Jisung's eyes widened, and he turned himself towards Minho. "Performing with <em> him </em> ?" he asked, emphasising <em> him </em>, looking at Minho and then at the manager.</p><p>The manager bit his bottom lip before taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm sorry guys, there's nothing else we can do. It's either performing together or both going back home. Even though I prefer the first option, we have fans all over the country that will love your performance..."</p><p>Minho looked at Jisung. Going home sounds like something a loser would do. And on top of that, he had travelled so long to get here. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He wasn’t going back home now.</p><p>"Okay", he sighed deeply, "I'm staying. I'm not going home again. What about you, Jisung?" he asked. Jisung rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I'm staying too then", he responded. The manager smiled widely and stood up. He brought the two boys to the door. "Amazing! I'm excited. We rented an apartment complex for the artists, but I think you both already know about that. Rehearsals start next week on Wednesday, in total you have two weeks to come up with a performance".</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The walk to the apartment complex was extremely awkward. They didn’t talk at all. Minho was the one who walked up to the desk in the lobby and asked for the key. Jisung waited. He was standing in the lobby, close to the door. He bit his lip and watched Minho ask the lady for the key.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is going to be a wild ride</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Minho turned around and held the key in the air, Jisung smiled and walked up to him. "Which room do we have?" he asked, trying to kill the awkward ambiance between them. "Room 54. I don't know, the lady said it's somewhere in the back though", Minho replied. Jisung chuckled awkwardly while they headed towards room 54. "Ohmygod, we have a terrace", Jisung mumbled as Minho opened the door. The elder said nothing and just walked inside. He plopped on one of the beds- the nicest looking bed. Jisung sighed. Of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He threw his bags on the other bed and looked around. The apartment wasn’t that big. It had a bedroom, a small living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, but it was big enough to avoid Minho and awkward conversations, Jisung thought. He somehow felt bad for thinking that. Unfortunately, accepting the situation is the only thing he could do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, he grabbed his laptop and sat down on his bed. "Shall we uh, brainstorm a bit?" he asked. Minho slowly turned towards him and gave the younger a 'are you crazy'-look. "Nah", he replied and stretched himself. "We just arrived. I want to relax first", he said and unlocked his phone. Jisung rolled his eyes. Oh my god.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But there was not a lot he could do, so he laid down and grabbed his phone too. He still had to message his parents that he had arrived (not because he wanted to, his parents are just worried and overprotective).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He then glanced at Minho. The elder had unpacked his bags already, leaving countless of things he brought with him on the bed. Jisung saw packs of cigarettes, a lighter, some guitar plugs, but what caught Jisung's attention was a yellow notebook that had clearly been through a lot. Minho grabbed the notebook and opened it. Secretly peeking from his phone, Jisung tried to read what was written down in the notebook. He saw loads of notes written in every possible color of ink and sticky notes that were messily glued to the lined paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho flipped to a page that said 'FESTIVAL SONGS. 2020'. He read through them. Jisung couldn’t help it and blatantly asked:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder looked up. "Oh, it's my notebook. I always carry it with me and write down ideas for songs and stuff", Minho explained. "Oh", Jisung replied. The conversation died again and Jisung hated it. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>hates </span>
  </em>
  <span>small talk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho then ripped the page out of his notebook and placed the now wrinkled paper on the bed. He exhaled deeply, bringing his fingers to his temples and slowly massaging them with his fingertips. "Stressed?" Jisung asked and put his phone back in his black backpack. Minho looked at him. He said nothing, but the expression on his face screamed: 'how do you think I feel?'</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe we should just start a bit, then we have something to do", Jisung tried again. He bit his bottom lip. He couldn’t help it, he's a perfectionist and has a very short temper. He wants things to be done as quickly as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho, on the other hand, clearly isn't a perfectionist and was way more laid-back than the other person in the room. He sighed and laid back on the pillows on his bed. "I don't know why you're stressing this much", he responded, picking up his bright yellow lighter to fidget with it, "we have plenty of time".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung rolled his eyes. "I'd like to just make a start. I don't know, discussing our music genres and see where they cross", he said. He tried to be nice, but you could just hear the irritation in his voice by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder chuckled softly, now picking up his lighter. "Do you know where our genres cross? Nowhere", he hissed and went back to scrolling through his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung wanted to snap back at him, but decided to keep his mouth shut and press his lips together, until they were a small thin line. He was really starting to get frustrated. "I'm sure we can make something out of it. I want it to be perfect", he then said and crossed his arms. Minho chuckled. "You're a perfectionist, aren't you?" he asked. "What makes you think that I'm a perfectionist", Jisung scoffed and grabbed his laptop. Maybe making a start himself would encourage Minho too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You want everything to be perfect, duh. I already noticed that", Minho replied, whereupon Jisung groaned. He opened the folder on his laptop that contained all of his music. "Let's just get started", he said. Minho finally put his phone away and an irritated sigh left his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What kind of music do you listen to then?" Minho questioned, his voice sounded emotionless. Jisung rolled his eyes. "I listen to BROCKHAMPTON a lot but I like any kind of rap music. It doesn't matter to me. I like The Neighbourhood too", he replied and he heard Minho chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're like a typical eboy".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Jisung asked, he looked at Minho. "An eboy. Those Tiktok boys who think they're a part of the emo community because they listen to The Neighbourhood. But in reality, they're just insecure high school boys who want to fit in", Minho responded. He chuckled, and he clearly found his own joke funny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know why you're being a fucking dickhead the entire time but I'd like to just get started", he hissed, looking at the elder with half-closed eyes. "Jeez. Calm down, it's just a joke. And you're stressing", Minho responded. Jisung balled his fists and stood up from the bed, he couldn’t control his anger anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm so sick of you and your dumb opinions already, I wish I would've gone home instead of staying here with you!" he yelled. "Why am I portrayed as the villain while you are the one who's calling me a dickhead!" Minho yelled back at him. "Take a look at yourself!" Jisung snapped back and crossed his arms. "You can keep talking, but I don’t care. I'm done. I'm going to prepare some food", Minho said and also stood up. He walked off to the kitchen, slamming the door shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fucking dickhead", Jisung murmured and looked around the room. He was frustrated, and especially because he couldn’t simply leave the apartment. He was stuck.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After thinking for a while, Jisung decided that doing something to distract him from thinking of how much he hates Minho already would be the best. He opened his suitcase and decided to unpack all of his clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung isn’t the best at folding clothes, he chuckled softly as he saw the wrinkles in his shirts and blouses. He blamed the suitcase and started to fill the closet that was standing in the corner of the room. There were two closets, luckily. Jisung couldn't bear to think about having to share a closet with Minho. He smelled like cigarettes. Sharing an apartment for two weeks and having to share a stage was enough already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While trying to get the wrinkles out of his shirts and hanging them in his closet, Jisung thought about the festival and Minho. He thought about the manager again, who was so excited to hear both of them agree on working together. Jisung chuckled again, what would he think if he'd see them right now? Fighting, on the first day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is going to be hell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung actually felt bad for the manager. He’s putting so much effort into this and here they are, fighting already. As much as Jisung wanted to like the elder, their personalities just don't match. And he really hoped they were able to fix it somehow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door that led to the kitchen opened, and Minho appeared in the doorway. He was holding a bowl of ramen. "I'm going to eat", he said shortly and walked off, but Jisung turned around. "Shall we... uh... go on a walk after dinner? Maybe some fresh air will help", he asked. Minho stopped walking and looked at Jisung. "Will help what?" he asked, Jisung balled his fists by hearing the annoying tone the elder used to talk to him. "Inspiration", he replied shortly and closed the doors of his closet. Minho shrugged. "Sure", he said and opened the door that led to the terrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It's going to be hard for me to keep myself cool the entire time</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought while he pulled out his own stash of instant ramen that he took with him. After preparing the food, he ate his ramen while sitting on the countertop, already thinking about what he can ask Minho when they're outside so that they would have a decent conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After eating his ramen, he laid down onto his bed and mindlessly scrolled through Instagram. Then, the door opened and Minho appeared. He looked irritated. "I thought you were the one who wanted to go outside with me?" he asked. Jisung looked up. "Yes? I was waiting for you", Jisung replied and stood up. Minho let out a chuckle. "You were the one who wanted to go", he whispered under his breath, but Jisung was able to hear it. He decided not to pay attention to it. He didn’t want to ruin the mood even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They left the apartment, walking into a park that was nearby. "So", Jisung started, to begin a conversation, "what kind of songs do you perform on a gig?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, I sometimes do covers, I really love doing covers from Arctic Monkeys. But I don't think you know them, it's not something eboys like to listen to", Minho responded, a mean chuckle left his lips. At least, it sounded mean in Jisung's ears. "I-I do know who Arctic Monkeys are", Jisung defended himself. He was getting sick of Minho's prejudgements about him. Minho didn’t reply anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyway, the songs that I write myself are inspired by Arctic Monkeys I guess. I just really like their aesthetic and sound", Minho suddenly said. "And what kind of songs do you perform?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung was genuinely surprised. Wow, Minho is asking him a question? They're having a somewhat decent conversation? "Oh, usually rap, but I can sing too. I write and compose all of my songs. I recently finished one named 'Sunshine', I really love it. You should hear it someday", he started rambling, a bit too excited. Minho smiled, but it was more like a 'you can stop talking now'-smile. "Someday", he replied. Jisung bit his lip. "Oh, okay", he mumbled and fumbled with his fingers. The excitement he was feeling a second ago, had vanished completely. He glanced at Minho, who stopped walking to take a picture of bright, pink flowers. "I'm going to send this to my friends", he laughed, Jisung could only smile. Minho seemed to realize that Jisung didn’t want to talk to him anymore and they went back to their apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to smoke. Do you smoke? I have cigarettes", Minho asked and reached for his bag. Jisung looked at Minho with a disgusted look on his face. "So you do smoke?" he asked. "I thought you had seen my lighter", Minho bit back, making Jisung roll his eyes. An awkward silence followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho exhaled deeply. "Anyway", he started, "I only smoke in stressful situations or when I'm thinking a lot", he explained. "Oh, and this is a stressful situation?" Jisung asked, the tone in which he asked the question showed that he was hurt by the explanation Minho gave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. It is".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder turned around and walked outside, lighting his cigarette while sitting down on the chair. He placed his lips around the cigarette and inhaled, feeling himself relax as the smoke filled his lungs. He sat back a bit, closing his eyes for a moment before he exhaled. He watched the smoke curl into the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gosh, what a day", he mumbled, taking another drag from his cigarette. He felt like his irritation towards Jisung was slowly calming down. As if it was disappearing into the air, he thought and chuckled. As if his irritation was the smoke he was exhaling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho stared at the evening sky. It looked like a painting to him, the sun slowly sinking in the horizon and the pink-toned clouds. It looked calm and peaceful. Minho felt calm and peaceful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But his calm thoughts were brutally interrupted by the loud sound of his ringtone. Minho startled. He coughed as his breath, and the smoke, suddenly got stuck in his throat. "Jeez", he muttered annoyedly when he saw who was calling him. Changbin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey Min! How is everything going? We thought you were dead", Changbin asked his best friend as soon as Minho picked up the phone. "You're kinda interrupting me right now, I'm smoking", Minho replied, tapping his cigarette to let some ash fall into the ashtray.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin laughed. "See, I told you, you need them. But how was your first day?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho could only roll his eyes. "It was terrible to be honest. The management has a problem with the schedule or something, so I can't perform on my own anymore", he said and held his phone a bit further from his ear as Changbin screamed "WHAT?" through the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You don't have to scream", Minho laughed. "Sorry. But explain more to me. You're performing with someone now? How are you going to do that?" Changbin questioned. "Unfortunately, yes", Minho sighed, "I'm performing with some random eboy dude. He's younger than me though, and very annoying", he said. He heard Felix chuckle in the background. "Minho's stuck with an eboy?" he asked. Changbin laughed too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Guys, it's not funny! I'm stuck with him for the upcoming two weeks and I have to make music with him. He has a short temper and listens to hiphop, I don't like him", Minho whined, letting his now finished cigarette fall on the ground. He stomped on it with his black boot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is it that bad?" Changbin asked. Minho sighed. "He wanted to start working on the performance immediately but I said no since we just arrived, and then he got mad and called me a dickhead", he explained. Changbin laughed. "I'm sorry. Hang in there, I'm sure you two will be best buddies at the end of this week".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho scoffed. "Never. I don't like him. and I don't need new friends anyway, I have you guys".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We miss you, dickhead", Felix jokingly said. Minho chuckled. "I miss you two too, can't wait to be back home", he responded. "Okay but for real, just go for it and don't let that random eboy dude ruin this amazing opportunity. We believe in you", Changbin said. Minho smiled by hearing those words. "I will, thank you. I really needed that. Take care! I miss you guys a lot", he said and hung up. He doesn't like to talk about his feelings, but he really loves his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Minho stood up to go inside, he saw Jisung laying in his bed, in his boxer shorts. He had his headphones on his head and was clearly bopping to the music. He startled when he saw Minho and pulled the covers over his body. Minho frowned but didn’t think about it anymore, he was tired and he wanted to shower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to shower", he announced. Jisung looked at him and nodded with a small smile. "Okay", he said and looked at Minho, who was grabbing his towel and walked off to the bathroom. Jisung sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho came back after a while, and he (luckily) smelt like aftershave instead of cigarettes. The elder sat down on his bed and reached for his bag. He pulled out a bag of chips. "Do you want chips?" he asked. Jisung looked up. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. Minho smiled and opened the bag of chips and sat down on Jisung's bed. He started scrolling on his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung grabbed a handful of chips and looked at Minho. He looked at the elder's eyes and the way his phone screen was reflecting in them, his long eyelashes and pointy nose. He's quite cute. It's a shame that he's a dickhead.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What am I thinking?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung quickly shook off his thoughts. He couldn’t think about this. Minho wasn’t someone he should think of in 'that way'. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The way he treated me today already says enough</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jisung thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho grabbed his headphones. Jisung could hear the music, he was listening to Nothing But Thieves. "D-do you like Nothing But Thieves too?" Jisung asked softly. Minho did not respond, he probably didn't hear the younger. Jisung bit his lip and carefully poked Minho's shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder took off his headphones and looked at Jisung, slightly irritated. "What?" he asked. "Do you like Nothing But Thieves too?" Jisung repeated his question and Minho nodded. "I do", he said and smiled slightly at Jisung. "Do you have a favorite song?" Jisung then decided to ask, to avoid another awkward silence. "Gosh, I don't know. Maybe Amsterdam?" Minho replied. Jisung smiled. "My favorite song is Particles", he replied and bit his lip as Minho awkwardly nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to sleep, I guess", Jisung said and grabbed his blanket. Minho nodded again. "Me too, good night", he responded. "Good night", Jisung murmured and closed his eyes.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hate to admit that the idea of minho smoking is kinda hot...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next three days were, as Jisung would describe it, a living hell. The only positive thing was that Minho finally seemed to listen to him whenever Jisung would talk about his music. After days of arguing and Minho claiming that their styles were too different, they came to the conclusion that they first needed to see each other perform, and the first rehearsal for the festival seemed the perfect opportunity.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"So, what's the plan? You're going to perform Deja Vu by Sleeping With Sirens?" Jisung asked as they stood in front of the mirror, both brushing their hair. Minho nodded, putting down his hairbrush and reaching for the hairdryer. "And you?" he asked as he turned on the hairdryer. He ran his hands through his dyed, wet hair as he looked at Jisung.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Into It, by Chase Atlantic", the younger replied. He walked towards his bed to pack his stuff. He saw Minho putting his expensive looking electric guitar in its case. "Don't know the song, but it sounds cool I guess", Minho chuckled and grabbed his phone. Jisung smiled awkwardly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They left their apartment to go to the venue, Minho sighed as they walked backstage. He thought about the last time he was here, still thinking that he was going to perform on his own. But now, he was stuck with Jisung, unfortunately. Why couldn't Jisung be a cool dude? Someone like Felix or Changbin, he thought. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"You're first", a staff member said and patted Jisung's back. The younger nodded, fixed his hair and took the microphone the staff member gave him. Minho crossed his arms. He watched Jisung walk on the stage.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The music started. How much Minho wanted to hate the performance, he had to admit that he was pretty impressed by the younger. His voice sounded amazing, to be honest, and his stage presence was on point. He cursed under his breath, balling his fist around his guitar pick. The object felt cold in his clammy hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung walked off the stage with a cocky grin on his face, Minho felt his blood boil. "And, what do you think about it?" he asked, running his hand through his hair. The elder cleared his throat. "It- it was okay, I guess", he replied. "Just okay?" Jisung scoffed, giving Minho a nasty look. Minho looked down. "Okay. It was quite good. I'm impressed", he said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had never seen Jisung acting like this. This was not the person Jisung was in their apartment. This Jisung is... kind of intimidating. Not that Minho was intimidated by him, though.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"But I'm going to do even better. You'll be surprised", he said and grabbed his guitar. Jisung stayed silent as Minho turned around and walked onto the stage. He felt Jisung's eyes glued on him and he knew the younger was nervous, he just knew he was. He greeted the boys that play the drum and bass to accompany him and bend over to plug his guitar in the speakers that are on the stage.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at Jisung backstage and expected the younger to look at him with a nervous expression on his face, but that was not the case. Jisung had the same cocky grin on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Minho swallowed thickly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, you're not going to be intimidated by this boy. You're Lee Minho and this is what you do</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought. His friends crossed his mind again. They would be so proud of him. He plucked on his guitar and tightened the strings one last time after he realized the sound was kind of off. He took a deep breath and started playing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as he moved the microphone towards his mouth and sang the first two words, the nervousness seemed to be completely gone. Even though it was the first time he was playing on such a big stage, he felt home. And before he realized it, the song ended. He thanked the band and unplugged his guitar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Not going to lie, that was good", Jisung said. "You really think so? It's not your cup of tea", Minho replied, making Jisung roll his eyes. "Shut up. I was being honest", he said. Minho didn’t reply anymore and placed his guitar in its case. "I'm going to the toilet, can you take a look that no one takes my guitar?" he asked. Jisung knitted his brows. "Why would someone take your guitar?" he questioned. "That thing is expensive, okay? You don't understand the bond a guitarist has with his favorite guitar", Minho scoffed and walked away. "Acting like he knows everything", Jisung whispered under his breath and closed Minho's guitar case. He sat down and took a sip of his water bottle that he took with him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A young girl, she looked like she could be in her twenties, greeted Jisung and grabbed one of the guitar cases that was laying behind Jisung. "You were good, I liked your performance", she complimented him. Jisung blushed. "You thought so?" he asks. The girl smiled and nodded. "And about your friend, he'll open up after a while. We're all like-" "You mean Minho? He isn't my friend and he'll never be, that's one thing I know for sure", Jisung cutted her off. The girl stopped talking. "Anyway, you have talent", she just said before she walked off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung sighed. Everybody here is weird, he thought, he couldn’t wait to be home again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Minho came back after almost five minutes. "Alright, let's go to our apartment", he said and grabbed his guitar case. Jisung nodded, stood up and grabbed his bags. He felt quite exhausted when they arrived at the apartment. He wanted to lock himself into the bathroom to take a long relaxing shower. Jisung walked towards the bathroom, locked the door and peeled his sweaty shirt off, but was interrupted by a scream coming from the bedroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung groaned. He wrapped a blanket around his abdomen and walked into the bedroom. "What's going on?" he asked as he saw Minho standing in the room, his guitar case was laid open on the bed. "You're asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> what's going on?" Minho asked and looked up, Jisung was shocked by the aggression in the elder's eyes. "Yeah? I literally don't know what's going on when you just scream?" Jisung replied, crossing his arms. Minho looked down and audibly breathed out through his nose. "For God's sake Jisung, this isn't my guitar! You did this on purpose, didn't you?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung's eyes grew wide. "Why am I getting blamed for everything?" he asked, raising his voice and balling his fits. "Because you were the one waiting to watch my guitar when I was gone!" Minho screamed back. "I swear, I didn't do it!" Jisung defended himself. "Jisung, I am not fucking stupid!" Minho yells. Jisung rolled his eyes. He didn’t have the energy for this stupid argument right now. "I'm not going to have an argument with you over something I didn't do. And I wanted to shower anyway", he sighed and walked off. "You can't just walk away!" Minho yelled. "Oh, yes I can!" Jisung screamed back and slammed the door of the bathroom shut. He sighed and got into the shower.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Why keeps Minho treating him like a villain?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung kind of forgot about the accident when he comes back to the living room after a long, relaxing shower. Why would he be bothered though? It's Minho's guitar, not his.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Minho was sitting on the bed. He seemed a lot more calm than the last time Jisung spoke to him. "Are you still mad at me?" Jisung asked. Minho met eyes with the younger. "Uhm, I found my guitar".</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung let out a loud chuckle, feeling a spark of satisfaction as he saw the annoyed look on Minho's face. "Where was it?" Jisung crossed his arms and sat down. "A girl came by. She said that she accidentally switched our guitars, since we have the same case", Minho explained.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"And you're not going to apologize to me?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Minho only frowned. "For what?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jisung looked at him, he didn't even want to say anything. "Whatever", he murmured and stood up to make dinner. Minho was really getting on his nerves. After he made another instant ramen and ate it sitting on the counter again, he realized that they can't go on like this. He wished he could do something about it. He really wanted to make himself proud.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oh wait, maybe he could do something about it. Jisung chuckled, jumped from the counter and walked outside, where Minho was sitting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Minho, I have an idea".</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>oof i LOVED writing this chapter! they just can’t stop fighting sjdjdjdjd <br/>what would jisung’s idea be and do you think minho will finally open up?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Minho, I have an idea".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looked up as Jisung was suddenly standing on the terrace. "You're kind of interrupting me right now, but okay", he said, eyeing at his cigarette. Jisung rolled his eyes. "Don't be a dick right now. Like I said, I have an idea. We can't go on like this anymore, I think you feel like that too", Jisung explained. Minho knitted his eyebrows together and looked at his cigarette. He thought for a while, but nodded. "Go on", he mumbled, while blowing the smoke in the air. Jisung took a step back and blocked his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hated the scent of cigarettes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I feel like we should do something about it. How do you feel about a bonding activity? Tomorrow? Going to the arcade together?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung felt disappointed as Minho laughed, even though he didn't expect a more sincere reaction from the elder. "Sung, an arcade? I'm not the kind of person to go to an arcade, honestly. I don't like games. I really don't know", he said. Jisung sighed. "It was just an idea, quite disappointing that you don't want to come with me", he turned around and walked back inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And don't call me Sung ever again".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho sighed. He threw his cigarette on the floor and grabbed his phone. He decided to call Changbin for advice. "Hey Bin", he said as his best friend picked up. "Hey Minho! How's everything going out there? You're still alive?" Changbin joked. Minho rolled his eyes. "I'm managing", he replied and heard Changbin chuckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But listen. We got into a pretty big fight today, again, and Jisung asked me to go to an arcade tomorrow, as a 'bonding activity'. Is that stupid and nerdy? I said no anyways", Minho explained. Changbin sighed. "Minho, are you stupid? He asked you this because he wants to get closer to you. Not as a friend or something, but to make something from this performance!" he said, he was clearly frustrated by his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-you think so?" Minho asked, he bit his lip while he thought about it. "Ugh, yes Minho. I'm one-hundred percent sure. You're exaggerating. The dude just wants to be nice to you. So, go say sorry to him and say you want to go to the arcade with him. I'm sure you'll have fun!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho sighed deeply. "Ugh, okay. Thanks. I'll talk to you later! Send my greetings to Felix", he said. "Of course, we're going to gossip about the whole conversation we just had", Changbin laughed. Minho smiled. "Bye Bin", he said and hung up. He stretched himself and took the ashtray with him inside to empty it in the bin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he went back to the bedroom, he saw that Jisung was already sleeping. The younger was sleeping on his back, his lips parted. He had his arms wrapped around one of his pillows. Minho smiled. He looked quite cute like this. Fast asleep, with his messy hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait, what?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He quickly pushed the thought away. "Jisung", he whispered. The younger didn’t move an inch. "Jisung? Sung", he whispered again, this time louder. But still, Jisung didn’t move. Minho poked Jisung's cheek and the younger finally opened his eyes. He frowned when he saw that Minho woke him up, clearly frustrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you want from me", he mumbled, crossing his arms over the pillow he was holding. "I- I want to say sorry for being such a dick today and uh, I do want to go to the arcade with you tomorrow", Minho said, he fidgets with his hands. Jisung's eyes widened as he heard what the elder was telling him. "You changed your mind?" he asked. Minho smiled slightly. "Yeah, a cigarette changes a lot", he lied. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t want to admit that his best friend persuaded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung smiled too. "Alright. We're leaving at 11 am", the younger said, he already sounded excited. Minho nodded. "Okay. Uh, good night", he said awkwardly. Jisung nodded and laid down on his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, shit".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning, Minho opened his eyes as he heard something fall. "Sorry, dropped my straightening iron", Jisung giggled, holding his straightening iron in his hand. Minho noticed that he was already dressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why are you already dressed, it's so early", Minho mumbled and turned around to grab his phone. Jisung laughed, Minho literally had never seen the younger this excited. "Oh, I'm just excited for today. And I usually get up really early to do my makeup", he chattered and walked off to the bathroom. Minho shook his head. He chuckled, he didn’t really know why though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up to shower. "Are you going to shower?" Jisung asked as Minho entered the bathroom with his clothing in his hands. Jisung had just finished blow drying his hair and was busy unpacking his makeup. "Yes", Minho replied  and opened his toiletry bag. "I'll leave the bathroom and give you some privacy", Jisung said, smiling at Minho as he left the bathroom. Minho heard Jisung mumble a song. He smiled, and had to admit that this Jisung, is quite adorable.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, but not as in 'I'm in love' or something. Just... as a friend. If he'd ever be my friend.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho shook his head and washed his face, trying to forget the thoughts. After he finished showering, he put on his clothes. "I'm done!" he yelled, and saw Jisung enter the bathroom again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I borrow your blow dryer?" Minho asked. Jisung nodded, while starting to straighten some strands of hair. "I think my hair is dead because of all the hair dye", the younger mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Minho chuckled. Jisung nodded. "Before I dyed my hair blue, it was blonde. I never let it grow out again or something", he explained. "That's dumb", Minho joked, whereupon Jisung answered, "I know".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung then started doing his makeup. Minho couldn’t help but look at how he applied his skin cream and concealer. A black eyeliner around his eyes followed. "You're good at that", Minho said while Jisung was busy drawing a cross and a star under his eyes. "Thank you", Jisung smiled and then grabbed his blush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you wear a lot of makeup?" the younger then asked. "Nah, only when I have a gig or something", Minho replied and grabbed his eyeliner. Now, Jisung took the time to look at the way Minho applied his makeup. The elder's makeup was very smudged. "Do you always wear your makeup this messy?" Jisung blurted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho sent him a death glare. "I like it messy. I'm not that polished as you. I'm not a perfectionist", he bit back, clearly feeling attacked. "Sorry, I didn't want to attack you like that", Jisung replied indignantly. He angrily furrowed his brows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho only sighed. "You get on my nerves, Han Jisung", he then mumbled. "You get on my nerves too, Lee Minho", Jisung mimicked Minho and smirked when he saw the irritated expression on Minho's face. He was clearly thinking about something he could say to insult Jisung. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jisung was faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to wait in the living room. You better hurry up, I want to leave around eleven", he only said and left the bathroom. The younger slammed the door shut and Minho sighed. He hoped that today wouldn’t be like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He questioned himself, why was Jisung being such a dick? He did nothing wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>what do you think of jisung’s idea? also minho is such a dick skskdkkd</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry for the long wait! i hope everyone had an amazing christmas &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It's 11 am when they left the apartment, and it was already quite warm outside. "Ah, the weather is amazing", Jisung happily said as they were walking to the bus stop. "Isn't an arcade an indoor activity?" Minho scoffed. Jisung looked at him with a disappointed look on his face. "God, Minho, don't start acting like this right now. This is a bonding activity, remember", he said, but Minho just rolled his eyes in response. "A bonding activity", he repeated in a mimicking tone, making Jisung groan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hope you're at least a little excited for today. I love arcades", Jisung finally said as they got off the bus and walked to the arcade. Minho couldn't help but smile slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why? He didn’t know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am, to be honest", he mumbled. Jisung looked at him and smiled brightly. "Oh, really? That makes me happy", he said. They entered the building. "Shall I pay for our tickets?" Jisung asked and reached for his wallet, but Minho shook his head. "No, I'll pay. No problem", he said and walked up to the entry to buy two tickets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looked around when they got inside. The arcade was a large hall, stacked with all kinds of arcade games. There was music, sounds and games everywhere. "I have no idea what to do", he said, feeling disoriented. Jisung laughed. He couldn’t help it to grab Minho's wrist and take him to an arcade game he already spotted. "This is one of my favorite games", he said excitedly and pointed at two screens. "A racing game?" Minho asked and Jisung nodded. "Sit down. You press on that button and stuff, and now the game starts", he said and pointed at the bright orange button on the side of the machine. "Okay", Minho mumbled and pressed the button, the game started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I'm really bad at this", Minho mumbled. Jisung looked at him and saw the elder's serious face break into a concentrated smile. "I'm also very bad at this, so you have a chance of beating me", Jisung laughed and bit his lip. He heard Minho chuckle. He felt a warm feeling spreading inside him by hearing the elder chuckle, what is it? He decided to ignore it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ahahaha I won!" Minho laughed as the game ended. "See, I told you, you have a chance of beating me", Jisung laughed and got up. "I thought you were the experienced one when it comes to arcades", Minho said, winking. Jisung looked at him. The day before, he would be irritated by hearing the comment, but now he just chuckled. "Shut up Min", he joked and playfully pushed the elder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, what can we do more?" Minho asked, looking around. "Oh, do you like those claw machines? You can win stuffed animals", Jisung suggested, he saw Minho biting his lip. "You don't have to because I say it", the younger then said, he sounded insecure. But Minho smiled and shook his head. "No, it's okay. Today is about having fun", he replied. Jisung couldn’t deny that he felt that spark in his stomach again and they walked towards the claw machines, which were more in the back of the arcade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho tried first. "Is there a stuffed animal you're looking for?" Jisung asked curiously when Minho walked up to the claw machine with Sanrio plushies. "Oh, I like the Kuromi plushies, I really want one of them", Minho replied. Jisung stood next to him and looked at Minho trying to get a plushie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why are these machines so incredibly evil?" Minho groaned after he failed for the third time. "I don't know! Wait, let me try", Jisung said and grabbed the handle. "Is this your revenge for me winning the racing game?" Minho jokingly asked. "You're just as evil as this machine", Jisung laughed. He turned around and stuck out his tongue. Minho's eyes widened when he saw a shiny object on Jisung's tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my god Jisung, do you have a tongue piercing?" he asked and got closer. "Oh... I do. You didn't notice yet?" Jisung asked. He showed the elder his tongue piercing again. "No.. I literally didn't know. It's really cool though. I like piercings", he said. Jisung smiled. "I noticed. Your eyebrow and lip piercing".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After trying for almost five times, Minho finally won a Kuromi plushie. "Ahhh yes!!" he yelled when the machine finally didn't drop the plushie. Jisung watched Minho holding it, and hugging it like a toddler would hug his favorite stuffed animal. He, again, felt the same weird spark in his stomach. And again, decided to ignore it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spend the entire day at the arcade, it was already late afternoon when they decided to leave. "That was a lot of fun. Thank you Minho, I'm glad you said yes. I feel like we got to know each other a lot better today", Jisung said as they sat down on the bus. Minho smiled. "Me too. Hey, I'm quite hungry right now and I saw a sushi restaurant when we were on the bus this morning. Do you like sushi? Shall we get sushi?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? I love sushi!" he said, maybe a bit too excited since the elderly couple behind them looked at Jisung with an irritated look on their face. "Don't get too excited Sung- Shit, sorry, you told me to never call you Sung again", Minho looked at Jisung. He felt scared that he ruined the mood, but to his surprise, Jisung smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry, it's fine. I don't have any hatred feelings towards you. And on top of that, I was really irritated last night. I just have a short temper", he explained and leaned back. "You don’t have to tell me that. Do you really think I didn't notice yet that you have a short temper?" Minho asked and chuckled. "Shut up", Jisung laughed and jokingly slapped the elder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got off the bus and walked towards the sushi restaurant, luckily Minho still knew where it was. "Are we just going to order a bit from everything? I haven't had sushi in way too long", Jisung asked. "And who's going to pay for everything? Me?" Minho scoffed. Jisung shook his head and smiled. "I will, don't worry. You already paid the tickets for the arcade", he said and grabbed his wallet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where are we going to eat it though", Minho asked himself after they left the sushi restaurant. "Maybe over there, at that lake? That looks pretty and quite peaceful", Jisung suggested, pointing at a lake, not that far from where they are standing. Minho smiled and nodded. "Looks nice, let's go".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat down in the grass, Jisung using his oversized cardigan as a picnic cloth. "Shall I put on some music?" Minho asked, whereupon Jisung nodded. "I only have my own playlist downloaded though", Minho said while grabbing his bag to get his bluetooth speaker. Jisung shrugged. "I don't mind. I'm actually pretty curious to hear what kind of music you listen to", he said. Minho chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung dipped his sushi in the soy sauce, while listening to the sounds that were coming out of Minho's bluetooth speaker. The elder was softly humming along with the songs, and Jisung couldn’t stop looking at him. Everything he did was so... precious to Jisung. The way he chewed his food and pouted his lips while doing it, and how he sometimes excitedly told Jisung about the group they were listening to. He couldn’t help but smile slightly every time Minho laughed, a warm feeling spreading inside him when the elder did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, this is Mindless Self Indulgence. Do you know them?" Minho asked Jisung when Never Wanted To Dance by Mindless Self Indulgence came on shuffle. Jisung furrowed his eyebrows. "I've heard of them.. this doesn't sound bad by the way", he said. Minho nodded excitedly. "I love them. Their music is so good", he said. They listened to the song in complete silence, Jisung found himself slowly bobbing his head. "You like it?" Minho laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hate to admit it, but yes", Jisung said. Minho smiled. "They have more great songs. Wait, let me turn on Shut Me Up. That song slaps".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The song started. When the first couplet finished, Jisung got an incredible idea. He looked at Minho with wide eyes. The elder was looking at him too, clearly thinking the same thing. "Do you think what I am thinking?" Jisung asked. "I think so. We should cover this song, right?" Minho asked. A smile grew on his face when Jisung nodded vigorously. "Oh my god, I am so excited, let me grab my notebook", Minho said and pulled out his notebook from his backpack. "Do you take your notebook everywhere?" Jisung asked, taking a sip from his water bottle that he took with him. Minho giggled </span>
  <em>
    <span>cutely</span>
  </em>
  <span>. "I do. I hate it when I get random ideas but can't write them down", he said and started writing, holding the cap of the pen between his lips. Jisung smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That... is kind of adorable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We can add some of your rap parts in it maybe? Is that an idea?" Minho asked and he stopped writing, looking at the younger. Jisung nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice. Are there more of their songs we can cover? I really like their vibe", he said. Minho nodded excitedly. "Molly too. I think you can actually rap a part of the actual lyrics", he said and grabbed his phone, to turn on 'Molly'.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh god, you're right, I'm kinda digging for this", Jisung said. Minho smiled. "Kinda?" he joked and stood up to throw the empty styrofoam containers in the trash can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the evening there, listening to songs and writing down ideas for their performance. It was 11pm when they headed back to their apartment. "Do you mind if I go outside to smoke?" Minho asked. Jisung shrugged. "No, why would I?" he said and smiled. He wanted to go inside, but suddenly heard Minho say something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you. I had a lot of fun today".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung turned around and smiled. "Me too", he said and walked inside. His cheeks and ears felt hot, he didn’t understand why. He took his makeup off in front of the bathroom mirror and sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. Why were his cheeks red? He felt confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it's just from the heat, I also forgot to put on sunblock today</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought as he stepped into the shower. A quick, cold shower should help. He turned on the shower and washed his face, letting the cold water run through his dyed hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he came back to the bedroom, he saw that Minho was still sitting outside. It looked like he's calling someone. Jisung decided to go to sleep, he was already tired. He laid down and thought about the day. He had fun. And he never thought, he was going to have fun with someone like Minho. He thought about the way he helped Minho in the arcade, the joyful smiles on the elder's face, his excited chatter about rock artists and Jisung didn't even care. He loved listening to Minho, he just realized. He felt a weird kind of devotion for the elder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like... he's in love?</span>
</p><p><span>Jisung quickly shook his head. </span><em><span>No, I'm not</span></em> <em><span>in love with him</span></em><span>, Jisung assured himself and frowned. Why was he even thinking about this? Minho was just his partner. They were just partners. Just. Partners. </span></p><p>
  <span>And those are the words Jisung kept repeating to himself in his head before he fell asleep. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>SOOO they finally have an idea .... whooo where is this going?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yayyy new chapter!! again sorry that it took me so long HAHSJS</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next day, Jisung woke up feeling refreshed. The thoughts he had before he fell asleep still wandered through his mind, but he decided to brush them off. Minho was already sitting in the living room. He was watching tv. "Morning!" he said and smiled. In his lap was a bowl of cereal. Jisung smiled by hearing the elder's kind good morning, this was the first time Minho said good morning to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good morning", Jisung replied. He made breakfast and then sat down next to Minho. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. Minho chuckled. "I did, I slept like a rock. Let's just say that sleeping hits differently after smoking a cigarette", he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung just smiled, but he couldn’t help it to feel his ears get hot again. God, why was he feeling like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He coughed. "So, what are we going to do today?" he asked, to change the subject. Minho frowned. "Ahh, maybe we can work on our performance a little bit? We have the idea down now", he suggested. "That's a great idea, actually. I'll get dressed after I finish my breakfast, and then we can start", Jisung said excitedly. "Of course, take your time", Minho said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The weather was great, so they decided to sit outside and talk about the ideas they have on the balcony. "Do you mind if I smoke a cigarette?" Minho asked when he opened his notebook. "N-no, it's fine,'' Jisung quickly said. He didn’t want to say no to the elder. He was scared that it would irritate Minho again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, what do we have... I wrote some things down before I went to bed by the way", Minho said and shoved his notebook towards Jisung, while he lit his cigarette. The younger read the text that Minho messily wrote down. "Sorry, I wrote it in the dark, it looks a little messy", Minho chuckled. Jisung looked up. The elder had his cigarette in his left hand, his elbow leaning on the patio table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And? What do you think?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. He brought the cigarette to his lips and took a drag, blowing the smoke out afterwards. A sweet, but cocky smile appeared on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was... kind of hot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung didn't even realize he was spacing out until Minho laughed and waved his hand in front of his face. "Hey, Sung, are you here?" he joked. Jisung snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Minho. The elder was laughing at him. "W-what?" Jisung asked confusedly, running a hand through his hair. "You were spacing out", Minho explained, tapping his cigarette above his ashtray. "But what do you think about the lyrics?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"O-oh I uh, I love it! No, I really do", Jisung rambled and quickly read through Minho's notes again. "Great, because I want you to rap them. It's going to be the bridge part that connects Shut Me Up to Molly", Minho said. An excited smile appeared on his face. "Oh, wow, can you rap it for me first?" Jisung asked. Minho laughed and cleared his throat. "I'm not a rapper or anything, so please tell me if the rhythm sounds like shit", he said and started rapping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung had to admit that he was impressed. It wasn’t perfect, but he was impressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And, what do you think?" Minho asked as soon as he stopped rapping, he sounded insecure. Jisung nodded and smiled. "That was good!" he said, chuckling when Minho's eyes widened. "Really?" he mumbled. Jisung nodded again. "I mean I'd change some things but no, I'm down. I'm excited to perform this", he said and laughed. Minho seemed content, he chuckled and continued smoking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, so we start with Shut Me Up, then Molly, and then follows Never Wanted To Dance?" Jisung asked, grabbing a pen. Minho nodded. "I was thinking about doing a guitar solo in the middle of Molly and Never Wanted To Dance", he added. "Oh, that's a good idea. I'm writing that down", Jisung mumbled. "Maybe we can work on melodies a bit? I'll grab my laptop", he then said and walked inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the entire morning writing lyrics and coming up with melodies. "My god, is it already 1 pm?" Minho suddenly said, after he checked his phone. Jisung looked up from his laptop. "Already? Woah, I thought it was still 11 am or something", he said. Minho laughed shortly. "Let's go eat somewhere. There's a pancake restaurant close by, is that an idea?" he asked. Jisung nodded with a smile on his face, and they left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This pancake looks so good", Jisung whispered before digging in, making the elder laugh. "What?" Jisung asked indignantly, looking up. "No, nothing", Minho said and shook his head, "you just make me laugh sometimes", he said. Jisung chuckled </span>
  <em>
    <span>cutely</span>
  </em>
  <span>, grabbing his knife to cut his pancake in pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho just stared at him. He hated to admit it, but he felt his heart flutter. The way Jisung's cheeks puffed out as he was chewing, the content smile on his cute face, and his excited chatter. Somewhere in his mind, he was asking himself why. Why was he feeling like this when he looked at Jisung? But he decided to push away the thoughts as Jisung asked him something about his hometown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, do you have friends at home?" he asked. Minho nodded. He laughed when he thought about Felix and Changbin. "Yeah, I have two best friends. Their names are Felix and Changbin. We usually hang out, make some music, and smoke together. They're really fun though", Minho said and Jisung chuckled. "Ahh", he replied. "Do you have lots of friends?" Minho then asked. Jisung slowly shook his head. "No.. not really. I mean on Instagram I have, but no, not really someone who I can hang out with", he said. "Oh, I'm sorry", Minho mumbled and bit his bottom lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An awkward silence followed. Jisung just stared at his pancake, slowly cutting it up in bite-size pieces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I have an idea!" Jisung said, looking up. Minho frowned. "What kind of idea?" he asked. "Well, I think we should get to know each other a little better. So, what if we play 20 questions or something like that?" the younger asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho stopped chewing and just stared at the boy in front of him. "20... questions?" he mumbled. Jisung nodded excitedly, smiling. He stuffed another piece of pancake in his mouth and started explaining the game to Minho. "You see, I ask you a question, you answer, and you ask me a question back! It's really simple", he explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder frowned. "Isn't that... a little childish?" he mumbled softly, somewhere hoping that Jisung wouldn’t hear what he said. "What did you say?" Jisung asked, staring at Minho with his big eyes. Minho bit his bottom lip. He didn’t want to let Jisung down again so he couldn’t really say no, and he also wanted to get to know Jisung a little bit more. "No, it's nothing", Minho then decided to say, waved his hand and sat straight, "let's play 20 questions". </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright!" Jisung clapped in his hands and leaned forward. "So, would you rather have endless money or endless happiness?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho chuckled. "What is that for kind of a first question?" he laughed. Jisung also started laughing and shrugged. "I have no idea, I didn't want to start off with a boring question", he said and took a sip from his drink. "Well, let me think", Minho laughed and frowned. "I'm not really a person who needs a lot to be happy, I guess. Just give my guitar, a pack of cigarettes and I'm happy. So in that case, I'd choose money. Does that make me sound egoistic?" Minho said. Jisung smiled and shook his head. "No, not at all. I understand where you're coming from. I wish I was like that", he said and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean?" Minho asked and knitted his eyebrows together. "I'm an incredible pessimist. I question everything and everyone... it sucks. It takes a lot to make me happy, I hate it. It's my worst personality trait", Jisung explained. He looked at his pancake, stuck his fork in one of the remaining pieces on his plate and started playing with it. Minho bit his lip. "Well, uhm, it's my turn to ask a question! If you look back on this month, when were you the happiest?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung stopped playing with his fork and looked up. "Actually... when I was at the arcade with you", he said. Minho's eyes widened. "R-really?" he stammered. Jisung was now looking at him, with bright eyes. His lips curled into a small smile, and it was doing something to Minho. Something he couldn’t really put into words. He just stared at the younger, who gave his explanation as to why. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Even though we fought a lot and I may not have always liked you, that day at the arcade... it felt like you were my friend", Jisung said. He stopped talking for a moment, quickly looking down. "A-and I am feeling the same way right now".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho knew what Jisung was feeling. He swallowed and felt his cheeks heat up. He wanted to say it to Jisung, but didn't know how. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know how to explain that he was feeling the exact same way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you, I had lots of fun eating with you today", Jisung said as they left the restaurant. Minho only smiled at the younger. He listened to Jisung chat as they walked down the street. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hated to admit it, but he loves to listen to Jisung ramble about his hobbies, his friends, his interests. It made him smile, made him want to participate in the conversation. It felt strange to him. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing </span>
  </em>
  <span>like him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm- I'm going to take a shower", Minho said. Jisung smiled at him. "Okay", he said and Minho left the room. He looked at himself in the mirror and groaned. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He is blushing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho thought about it while he was showering. He had never been a person who does a lot about his feelings, let alone talk about them. Love is something he never really understood. Minho doesn't even feel the need to feel love, or to fall in love with someone. He has always been just fine on his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And usually he doesn't have problems with the way he views relationships and love, but there was something about Jisung. Maybe it was his smile, his bright eyes, or his lips. Maybe it was... just Jisung. His aura, his energy. There was something highly contagious about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck", Minho hissed and punched the glass window. It hurted. He looked at his now red fist, questioning himself why he thought that that was necessary. He let the water run over his fist and exhaled deeply. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho really hated this feeling. It made him feel powerless and uncomfortable, and he didn’t understand why. It felt unnatural, almost wrong to him. Maybe it was for the best that he ignored Jisung as much as possible. He just didn’t want to get affected by the younger’s enthusiasm and bright energy. Less than two weeks left, he thought, as he got out of the shower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Less than two weeks left until he could go home to his friends.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jisung woke up the next morning. He sat up and noticed that Minho was still fast asleep. He smiled and got up to take a quick shower. While he was showering, he thought about Minho and their performance. He felt pretty pleased with how everything was turning out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he was done showering, Minho seemed to be awake too. He was sitting on his bed, and was already changed. “Morning!” he said, earning an uninterested “Morning” back from the elder. "Well", Jisung started, smiling enthusiastically, "shall we continue?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looked at him. "Hm, I don't really feel like doing anything today. I'm quite tired", he hummed. Jisung's enthusiasm immediately disappeared.  "Oh", he mumbled disappointedly. "I thought that we could maybe finish writing the lyrics today," he tried again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why don't you understand me?! No is no!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder turned around and looked at Jisung with an angry expression on his face, Jisung was shocked. He took a step back and pressed his notebook that he was holding in his hand, against his chest. "Sorry", he sighed and walked away. He heard Minho curse under his breath when he closed the bedroom door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung turned around and looked at the bedroom door. He felt sad. What was it that bothered Minho so much? Was he doing something wrong, maybe?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An hour later, Jisung was starting to get hungry. He softly knocked on the bedroom door. “Hyung?” he asked and opened the door. Minho was laying on his bed, it seemed like he was playing a game on his phone. “Hm?” the elder hummed. Jisung cleared his throat. “Shall I uhm… get lunch for us? What do you want at Subway?” he asked. Minho hummed. “Doesn’t matter honestly. I’ll take whatever you take”, he replied, not looking up from his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung was surprised that Minho was sitting at the dinner table when he came back with their lunch. “I got two sandwiches with steak and cheese”, Jisung said as he also sat down. Minho mumbled softly and grabbed his sandwich. They ate their lunch in complete silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to smoke outside", Minho said as he was done eating, and shoved his chair backwards. He stood up and left the living room. Jisung looked up, he had a surprised look on his face. "I didn't even finish my sandwich- okay", he protested, but stopped talking as Minho slammed the backdoor shut. He groaned and ran his hands through his hair. He ate his lunch in silence, and looked outside. Minho was sitting with his back towards the window, staring at the sky. He was listening to music. Jisung recognized the song, Minho had let him listen to it a couple of times in the last weeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ludens by Bring Me The Horizon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung shrugged. He felt frustrated, seeing the elder sit there and completely ignore him again. It confused him. Why was Minho suddenly distancing himself again? He felt like they were growing closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he was staring outside the window and thinking, he felt a tear run down his cheek. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, roughly wiped the tear from his cheek and cleaned the table. He didn’t want to cry over someone who is this immature and selfish. He groaned, plopped on his bed and grabbed his notebook. Maybe there was something he could prepare himself, to surprise Minho.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost dinner time when Minho </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>came back. He saw Jisung sitting on his bed, surrounded by comic books and pages that were ripped out of a notebook. The younger looked up and smiled slightly. “Hey”, he mumbled. Minho smiled slightly, even though it wasn’t a really genuine smile. A short awkward silence followed, until Jisung came forward and grabbed his notebook. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you- do you want to read what I wrote?” he asked. Minho frowned. “Wrote what?” he asked, taking a step back. Jisung exhaled audibly and opened his notebook. “Lyrics”, he hummed and pressed his notebook in Minho’s hands, turning around and leaving the bedroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach growled when he arrived into the kitchen. He was hungry, but decided to just prepare one of his instant noodles. He didn’t expect Minho to be in the mood for sushi or something else. He, again, ate his dinner in silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho came back when Jisung wanted to put his used bowl in the sink. He walked up to Jisung and gave him his notebook back, without saying anything. “A-and?” Jisung stammered. Minho hummed. “It was okay. I changed some things though”, he said and Jisung opened the notebook. He saw Minho’s notes, messily written around his notes with red ink. “Ah, thank you. I’ll edit everything later so that we can use it”, he replied and smiled. Even though he felt like beating the elder up, he decided that being a dick would get him nowhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was right. Minho suddenly also smiled. He mumbled a shy “thank you”, and quickly turned around to rush to the bedroom. Jisung looked at him and saw how red the back of his ears were. It for some reason made him smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To know that he could make Minho flustered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho seemed to try his hardest in avoiding Jisung that evening. It irritated Jisung, so he had asked the elder if he wanted to edit the lyrics together. He also shared the idea of eating some snacks together and listening to music. After having to ask it at least 3 times, Minho finally agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Jisung entered the living room with his bowl of snacks, but realized that Minho wasn’t there anymore. He groaned when he heard music coming from the bedroom. Minho had locked himself in their bedroom. Again. He plopped onto the couch and ate his snacks in silence. After staring at the wall for a couple of minutes, he decided to watch television to kill the time. He was so concentrated on the movie he was watching, that he didn’t realize that Minho had entered the living room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we going to do anything or are you just going to watch television the entire evening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sudden stern voice behind him scared Jisung, he quickly paused the movie and turned around. Minho was looking at him with his arms crossed. Jisung huffed and shook his head. “Hm, I don’t feel like doing anything tonight. I’m tired”, he mimicked what the elder had said to him that morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho audibly breathed out through his nose and turned around. “It’s your fault if we don’t finish this fucking performance on time”, he hissed. He closed the backdoor behind him and reached for his lighter and cigarettes that he had in his pocket. He frowned when he saw that there were just two cigarettes left in the pack. And this was his last pack. Did he run out of them already, did he smoke this much?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smoking a lot was nothing like him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lit his cigarette, exhaling deeply when he took his first drag, as he felt himself calm down. He hated that he needed something disgusting like cigarettes to calm down. He knew it wasn’t healthy.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho then reached for his phone, dialling Changbin’s number. He really needed help now. "Hi Min, how are you doing?" Changbin's cheerful voice sounded after he picked up. Normally it'd make Minho smile, but not that day. He wasn't in the mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I need your help", Minho groaned, plopping down on the patio chair. He smoked his cigarette while he listened to Changbin's response. "Again? I'm not your therapist or something", Changbin joked. The elder only sighed. He leaned back and took the cigarette in his mouth. "I really feel like I need a therapist right now", he mumbled, his cigarette pressed between his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin only chuckled. "Tell me", he said. Minho cleared his throat. "I am feeling so weird towards Jisung. I for some reason feel like he's a lot kinder to me, he smiles a lot, he has amazing ideas, wants to listen to my stories and is interested in my music taste. It makes me almost feel like I want to do that to him too. Like I want to get to know him even better. He makes me smile and I feel flustered, Changbin. I hate it. I hate feeling this way. So, yes, I am fucking irritated", Minho rambled. He stood up and walked around the garden, while he listened to Changbin's response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But you guys were having fun last week right? At least, it sounded like that when we called last time", his best friend asked. "Yeah.. we did", Minho admitted. He walked around in the grass, it was still wet and muddy from the rain from that day. "Let me think", Changbin then mumbled. He stayed silent for a while, but then started talking again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So, you feel irritated, because you're feeling some kind of affection for him. And you don't want that, right" Changbin asked. "Yes, it's exactly like that", Minho answered, throwing his cigarette in the grass. He stomped on it. Changbin laughed shortly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't you think you have a teeny tiny crush on Jisung?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho swore that he felt his heart miss a beat when he heard Changbin say that. "Ohmygod", he groaned, "no".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're sure? I've known you long enough Minho, just think about it", Changbin said. His voice sounded caring, but Minho could only disagree and groan. "No. I'm not in love with him", he said and hung up. "What the fuck is Changbin thinking about", he murmured angrily and walked back inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho stomped into the living room, not caring about the dirty, muddy stains he was leaving behind with his boots. "I'm going to shower", he snarled, taking off his shoes and throwing them on the rug close to the front door. Jisung, who was still sitting on the couch, looked up from the comic book he was reading and pouted. "O-oh, okay", he mumbled and watched the elder walk to the bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got up when the door closed. A series of swear words left his lips when he saw the mess on the floor. He shuffled towards the closet, to get a broom. He cleaned the mess the elder left behind on the floor. He plopped down on the couch after he was done, opening a can of soda. The room had a lingering smell of cigarettes now. Jisung hated it, he hated the fact that Minho suddenly smoked more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung looked around the room, deep in thought. Minho's guitar was laying on the other side of the couch. Jisung suddenly got the idea to play a little bit on it. He opened his notebook and looked at the lyrics and musical notes Minho had written down for him. Jisung wasn't unfamiliar with musical notes or playing guitar. He played acoustic guitar for a while, when he was in elementary school.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I probably forgot everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Jisung thought when he grabbed Minho's guitar. He chuckled. He had no idea how an electric guitar even works. He took a quick glance at the musical notes again, and plucked at the strings. An out of tune sounding melody came from the guitar and Jisung squeezed his eyes shut by hearing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Okay, he really forgot how to play the guitar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried again, but was interrupted by an angry voice yelling his name. He startled and looked up, it was Minho. The elder was standing a couple of meters from him, and just got out of the shower. His hair was still wet. "What?" Jisung groaned, rolling his eyes. "Why are you using my guitar?" Minho yelled. He pointed at the guitar in Jisung's hands. "I just wanted to try it out!" Jisung said. Minho sighed, he sounded irritated. "Give it to me", he groaned and walked over to Jisung. He snatched the guitar from the younger's hands and placed it in it's guitar case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But what is the problem with me using your guitar for a while? I'm not breaking it! I'm being very careful!" Jisung protested, he stood up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That doesn't matter! You're really getting on my nerves-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But why? What am I doing wrong? I've tried to make our relationship better countless times! I'm the one who organized trips, eating dinner together most of the time, making sure that we do something, and I just don't understand why I am being portrayed as the villain once again!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was silent after Jisung's sudden outburst. The younger had tears in his eyes. "It got to the point that I almost wanted to do it for you too. But maybe it's better only to do it for myself. You're just a dick, Lee Minho. And I absolutely despise you", Jisung mumbled, making the elder groan. "Jesus Christ Jisung, you're so egoistic", he snarled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tension of the argument builded up again and Jisung walked up to Minho, balling his fists. It looked funny to Minho, for some reason, so he chuckled. Jisung made a frustrated noise as response and started screaming. "Why? Why am I being a fucking egoist? You're the one who's distancing yourself. You're the one who's not participating. Are you blind, Minho? It's you! I'm trying so hard and it's so frustrating that you don't see that!" A short silence followed before Jisung continued. Minho didn’t even know what to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You were so kind to me last week! I really felt like we were growing closer, I started to trust you! Not even as a partner, but as a friend. It's really sad that you ruined it again, because the trust I had is gone now. I'm starting to believe that it was all fake. No, I am convinced that it was all fake", Jisung took a pause to swallow the lump that was now building up in his throat. He was tearing up even more at that point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're just a fucking bitch. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate </span>
  </em>
  <span>that I wasted my energy on you. I'm so sick of it".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were tears rolling down Jisung's face, he was clearly trying his best to prevent them from rolling down his heated cheeks. Minho sighed and took a step forward, reaching to grab Jisung's wrist. "Jisung, look-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stay away from me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That's the last thing Jisung said. His voice broke as he quickly took a step back, turned around and ran to the back of the house. He was full on sobbing. He opened the door leading to the patio and slammed it shut behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was left alone in the living room. His head was pounding, he didn’t know what to do. He heard Jisung's muted sobs coming from the garden. One part of him felt sorry for the younger. He had a point, Minho admitted that he hasn’t been the nicest towards Jisung. But on the other hand...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No. He didn’t even want to listen to that other voice in his head as the guilt of making the poor boy cry like this washed over him. God, what was he even doing? Jisung seemed really hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood still in the living room for another couple of minutes, thinking of what he could do. In the end, he made the decision to approach Jisung. He didn’t even know how. How do you even apologize for something like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho carefully opened the door to the garden, seeing Jisung is sitting on one of the chairs. His head was laying on the table, and the elder saw Jisung's shoulders shake while he sobbed loudly. He carefully walked closer to Jisung, and placed his hand on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jisung".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you want from me", Jisung sobbed. His voice sounded completely broken. Minho swallowed. "I-I I'm sorry. I don't know how I can make you feel better but I just want to let you know that I'm sorry", he then decided to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung turned around. He looked at Minho, the elder was shocked by seeing the state Jisung was in. His eyes were bloodshot and completely swollen and his nose was almost as red as his cheeks, as far as he could see in the dim light that was hanging on the wall. "How do I know that you're sorry", Jisung mumbled, his bottom lip trembling while he talked. Minho swallowed thickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because I realize that I have been quite a dick last week. I- I can't give you a proper explanation for it now. I need to figure that out myself first", he said. Jisung exhaled deeply. "Well", he started, "I kind of accept your apology. But I don't want to talk about it now", he stood up, and walked back inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder then decided to sit down, and reached for the cigarettes and lighter in his pockets again. His thoughts were going everywhere and nowhere as he lit his last cigarette. Why was he acting like this towards Jisung in the first place? Why was he distancing himself, why was he smoking so much? Was he drowning his thoughts? If so, which thoughts was he drowning?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought about Changbin, and what his best friend had said to him earlier that evening. Did he really... have a crush on Jisung?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is that why he was so frustrated?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho didn’t even know, maybe he was in denial about it. Minho bit his bottom lip. He didn’t want to think about that. He had a headache. He sighed again, lightened a cigarette and closed his eyes. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>poor jisung ... what do you think will happen next?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>new chapter! yay i hope you guys like it &lt;33</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next day began... really awkward. Jisung was sitting on the kitchen counter when Minho entered the kitchen, a bowl of cereal cradled in his hands. He gave Minho a short look but quickly looked away. Minho saw his puffy and red eyes and he exhaled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Morning".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung hummed. He looked down, his hair falling in front of his eyes. Minho paused for a moment but when he realized that Jisung was not going to reply to him, he mumbled an angry 'whatever' and opened the fridge to grab breakfast. He then left the kitchen and ate his breakfast in the garden. He got inside again after he smoked a cigarette.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He saw Jisung laying on his bed now, reading one of his comic books and listening to music through his headphones. His eyes were all glossy again and his cheeks were red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did he cry again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A part of Minho wanted to call him out for being too 'weak', but he bit his lip when he realized that he still felt guilty. Even though Jisung's behavior in the morning irritated him, it's quite self-explanatory. Minho would have acted the same way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he should treat Jisung with something, and show him how sorry he is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"J-Jisung?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung looked up. He took his headphones off and looked at Minho, giving him the most uninterested expression Minho has ever seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I'm really sorry for last night. I shouldn't have acted that immature. It was all built up frustration and anger and I projected it on you. That was wrong", Minho started. He fumbled with his hands as Jisung sighed and went back to reading his comic book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're sorry, I know Minho. You already told me last night. And the built-up frustration and anger is my fault, isn't it?" Jisung hissed. He reached for his headphones, but Minho shook his head. "No- I- well you're right, and I'm sorry. I'm a dick", he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung suddenly closed his comic book and turned around. Minho was startled by the action and took a step backward. Jisung crossed his arms. "Did you just say that I'm right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho bit his lip and looked down. "I mean, you are right this time", he gave in, "and I thought that we could go to the mall. Together. Get bubble tea or something, and get some things. I need to buy new cigarettes".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A short silence followed, until Jisung chuckled. "I give you one last chance. But don't fuck it up, you really hurt me last night", Jisung finally said and stood up. Minho couldn't help it to smile and nodded vigorously. "I won't fuck this up Jisung, I promise you. You can trust me", he says. Jisung snorted and mumbled an "I hope so" as he walked off to the bathroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was quite cloudy when they got off the bus. “Ugh, the weather isn’t that great. Nothing like when we went to the arcade”, Jisung muttered. Minho looked at him. “Ah, but we’re still going to have fun right?” he asked. Jisung smiled. “What did you need to buy again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho cleared his throat. “Cigarettes. I went through the ones Changbin gave me quicker than I expected”, he said. Jisung hummed, but he suddenly looked at the elder. “Is it me or do you smoke more?” he asked. “What do you mean?” Minho asked. “Well, I feel like when we met, you smoked a lot less”, Jisung explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh”, Minho started and exhaled, “you’re right. I don’t know why. I guess I’m thinking a lot”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not because of me, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung sounded scared, but Minho quickly shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. It’s personal. And I know I should quit smoking”, he said. The younger seemed to calm down after that. “I have an idea though”, he said and looked at Minho. “You want to quit smoking right? What if we reduce more than four cigarettes a day to one or two? And every time you want a cigarette, you tell me and I give you candy”, Jisung said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho started laughing. “Who are you, my mother?” he joked. “No, but I’m your friend and I want to help you. It may sound dumb, but it’s funny right?” Jisung laughed, and Minho had to agree with that. “Alright then”, the younger said and clapped in his hands. “What is your favorite candy?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They decided to walk around the mall after Minho got his cigarettes, and Jisung bought Minho’s favorite candy. Jisung suddenly stood still as they walked past a tattoo shop. “I want a tattoo”, he abruptly said. Minho turned around. “Yeah, me too. I think about it so ofte-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I want a tattoo now”, Jisung interrupted him and pointed at the tattoo shop. “Uhm- what?” Minho stammered, and the younger started laughing. “This is very random, I know. I’m sorry”, he laughed. Minho furrowed his brows. “So you want a tattoo… now?” he asked. Jisung nodded. “Yes”, he said and stepped inside the tattoo shop. Minho followed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched Jisung choose a tattoo. “What are you going to get, and where?” he asked. “Oh, I was thinking about something small. I actually have a couple ideas on my phone”, he said and gave Minho his phone. Minho looks at a doodle of the sun and a music note. “Do you want that tattooed?” he asked. Jisung nodded with a smile on his face, as he sat down in the chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung gulped when the tattoo artist grabbed his tattoo machine. “D-does it hurt?” the younger asked, and he looked at Minho, who laughed. “Says the one who has a tongue piercing”, he joked. Jisung’s lips curled into a pout, and the tattoo artist also laughed. “It depends, some people have a higher pain tolerance than others”, he said. “Oh”, Jisung laughed nervously as he watched his arm being cleaned with disinfectant wipes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho pulled his phone out, and decided to scroll through Instagram. He looked up as he heard the sound of the tattoo machine. “Oh hey, this doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would!” Jisung exclaimed. “That’s also because you choose two fairly small tattoos”, Minho laughed, and held his phone up to take a picture of Jisung in the chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The younger frowned. “Did you just take a picture of me?” he asked. Minho giggled and nodded. “So that you’ll always remember the day you went to get your first tattoo”, he replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you happy with your tattoo?” Minho laughed. He watched Jisung, who walked next to him, examine his tattoo. They had just left the tattoo shop. The younger smiled enthusiastically, and nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t that store look nice?” Minho asked and pointed at a clothing store on the other end of the street. Jisung stopped walking. “Shall we take a look?” he asked. Minho nodded and they headed towards the store. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It ended up being a store that you could compare to Hot Topic, but a little fancier. “I think I can find a very nice outfit here”, Jisung said as he grabbed a shirt that was hanging on one of the racks, and held it in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking about outfits, do you have an outfit for the festival?” Minho asked. Jisung frowned. “I packed something, but it’s a little boring. What if we both buy an outfit?” he suddenly said. “That’s a good idea! Let’s do that”, the elder said. They both started looking through the racks of clothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I have my outfit together”, Minho said. Jisung nodded. “Me too!” he said and smiled. Minho had picked out a red tailored blouse and a black sweater, fitted pants and some chains. Jisung had chosen a similar outfit, but instead of a red blouse and a black sweater, he was holding a white, oversized blouse and a black turtleneck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho was the first one who was done changing, and knocked on the door of Jisung’s dressing room. “I’m done!” he said. “I’m almost done! Wait, let me buckle my belt”, Jisung mumbled. He opened the door a couple of seconds later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I like your outfit! It suits you very well”, Jisung immediately said when he saw Minho. “Thank you! I like it myself too”, Minho said and smiled. “It makes you… look mature. And kind of hot”, Jisung then said. Minho’s eyes widened by the compliment the younger gave him and looked down. He felt his ears get hot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“U-uhm, what about your outfit?” he quickly asked to change the subject. Jisung bit his bottom lip, you could clearly tell from Jisung's face that he was not very enthusiastic about it. The younger hummed and put his hands in the pockets of his pants. "I don't know, it feels plain to me. I feel like something is missing", he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh", Minho replied. He crossed his arms and watched Jisung look at himself in the mirror. "Maybe chains or something? Another belt?" But Jisung shook his head. "I know this is going to sound really weird", he started, fumbling with his hands as he turned around. "but I don't think I want to wear pants".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean by that? No pants?" Minho mumbled, he frowned at the younger. Jisung nodded. A shy, but determined smile appeared on his face. "I want to wear a skirt".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho's eyes widened. His mouth opened, but no sound seemed to come from his vocal cords. "Oh... well- I mean, if you want to, you should go for it!" he eventually responded, watching Jisung hastily put on his own pants again, grab his bags and run through the shop. He was heading towards the women's section, and Minho followed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you have anything in mind?" Minho decided to ask when Jisung looked through the clothing racks of skirts. He shrugged. "Something that fits my aesthetic, I have no idea", he mumbled, and Minho nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a couple minutes of searching, Jisung found a short, black pleated skirt. It had holes for a belt. “It’s a little simple, but I think I can pull it off with a belt and fishnet panties, don’t you think?” Jisung asked. Minho was still perplexed at the idea that the younger was really going to buy a skirt. “Y-yeah, I think so!” he said. “Alright! I’m going to put this on”, Jisung giggled and went back to the dressing room. Minho waited in front of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He heard an excited squeal and “you want to see it?” after a couple of minutes. “Yes, show me”, Minho replied. The door of the dressing room opened. "This is it! I love it!" Jisung exclaimed and smiled widely, as he checked himself out in the mirror. His fabric belt with a checkered pattern and white blouse fitted perfectly with the short skirt. Minho swallowed as he watched Jisung check himself out, and twirl in front of the mirror. It almost looked like the soft, breezy material of the skirt floated around his legs every time he twirled. Jisung then turned around to Minho, swaying his hips from side to side. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho opened his mouth. "I-it's beautiful. It suits you so well, Jisung. Gorgeous", he said and felt his cheeks heat up as Jisung giggled and thanked him, bringing his hands to his cheeks. "I'm so excited, you don't even know. I'm already thinking of how I'm going to do my hair and my makeup and everything", he rambled. Minho wasn’t really listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was busy admiring Jisung. His bright smile and his laugh. The way he looked in the skirt. He imagined Jisung in his skirt on stage. How he’d bounce and twirl around on the stage. Just the thought alone created butterflies in Minho’s stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t wait to wear this on stage!” Jisung laughed as he closed the door of the dressing room, to change back into his own clothes. Minho bit his bottom lip and he placed his hands on his now red cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He couldn’t wait to see Jisung wear it on stage too.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>jisung wearing a skirt?? hehehehe yesyes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They spend the last days before the festival preparing and perfecting their performance. Jisung had noticed that ever since they went to the mall together, there was a change in Minho’s behavior. He tried to be kind, and was also a little shy. He had never seen Minho be shy, so it surprised him. For some reason, it was always when they were working, and sitting close next to each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It somehow amused him, and he had an idea about what caused Minho to react that way. So he suddenly got the idea of pushing Minho’s buttons. Tease him whenever the opportunity was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and exhaled. He had just showered, Minho and him had worked on their performance the entire day. They were finally done and to celebrate it, they went out to eat sushi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looked up as Jisung came back into the bedroom. The younger was wearing an oversized Metallica tee, and short pants. He had no makeup on now, and his hair was still wet, and messy. “Whew”, he exhaled, and plopped down on his bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder acted like he was busy playing a game on his phone, but in reality, he took the time to secretly peek from his phone and look at Jisung. He had never noticed how different he looked now, a lot different than the Jisung Minho usually sees. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes, who are usually lined with thick black liner and eyeshadow, suddenly appeared a lot bigger and more innocent. Minho wasn’t even realizing that his ‘secret peeking’ had turned into staring at Jisung’s bright eyes, until Jisung himself noticed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you staring at me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho startled and looked up, seeing Jisung smirk at him. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could only feel his cheeks grow immensely hot, and his heart was beating faster and faster. “You don’t have to say anything, I know”, Jisung laughed and winked. Minho swallowed. “I-I am going to the bathroom”, he then said, stood up and ran away. He closed the bathroom door and exhaled deeply. He then looked into the mirror, his entire face was red. He turned the tap on and splashed the cold water into his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Minho noticed Jisung had been showing that flirty, cocky behavior of him more often. There was something about it that made Minho incredibly shy and flustered. It was nothing like him to be affected by someone else’s words, let alone get flustered by them. And he knew Jisung noticed it, that’s probably why the younger kept teasing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho exhaled deeply, and told himself what he kept telling himself the past three weeks. Two days left. Two days until the festival, and two days until he could go back home to his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know why he suddenly felt sad, at the thought of having to leave Jisung. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The day of the festival had arrived. Jisung woke up and looked next to him. Minho was still sleeping. He got up, made breakfast and sat down on the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho entered the living room 10 minutes later, smiling as he saw Jisung on the couch. “Morning!” he said, and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. Jisung stared at the tv, but he was busy thinking. Thinking about how excited and nervous he was for the festival that evening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They first had their last practice in the late afternoon. After that, they’d go to  their apartment  and eat dinner. get dressed and go to the festival. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last practice was about to start. Minho and Jisung were just about to walk on stage, when they saw the manager run up to them. “Hey! I saw that you guys were next on the schedule, so I decided to quickly say hi. How is everything going teamwork wise? Is everything going well?” the manager asked. Minho and Jisung glanced at each other, and chuckled for a moment. “Yeah, we’re doing alright”, Minho then replied, as he grabbed his guitar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great. I’m so excited to see the show tonight! I have to go now, I have lots of work to do”, the manager said. He smiled widely and he turned around, walking away at a quick pace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rehearsal went perfect, everything turned out exactly how they wanted it. They now quickly went back to their apartment, to get ready for the actual performance. Minho was the first one who went into the bathroom to shower and get changed. Jisung had helped him with his makeup, and couldn’t stop telling Minho how amazing he looked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho waited patiently in the hallway until Jisung was done changing. The bathroom door finally opened, and Minho smiled as he saw Jisung. “W-wow”, he mumbled. Jisung chuckled. “In his full glory”, he joked and twirled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung looked… gorgeous. He was wearing a lot more makeup than usual, pink and red eyeshadow and dark eyeliner. He decorated his eyes with small rhinestones. Underneath his skirt he was wearing fishnets, thick black socks and his Doctor Martens platform boots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look gorgeous”, Minho admitted. He felt his heart beat quicker as he saw Jisung’s cheeks grow red. “You too”, Jisung whispered, a short awkward silence followed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I never expected to hear that from you though”, Jisung whispered and shyly looked down. “What?” Minho asked, even though he exactly knew what Jisung was talking about. “Saying I look… gorgeous”, Jisung responded. “Well”, Minho started, “it’s not something I’d usually say”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, why would you say it to me then?” Jisung winked. “I-I don’t know. You always make me say things I usually never say”, Minho mumbled, and fidgeted with his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung crossed his arms. “I guess you could say I’m a good influence then”, he joked, and patted Minho’s shoulder. “I make you talk about your feelings, I help you stop smoking...” he rambled. Minho looked down, he felt incredibly shy. “Y-yeah… I guess you mean a lot to me”, he whispered softly, too soft for Jisung to hear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you say?” Jisung’s voice sounded, but Minho quickly shook his head. “No, nothing important. L-let’s go to the venue, the show starts in 30 minutes”. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were already quite a lot of partygoers who were waiting to get in. A staff member took Minho and Jisung backstage, to give them their microphones and discuss the rules one last time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They climbed the stairs and waited, just behind the curtains of the big stage. Their performance was the second performance of the show, and the opening had just started. Minho looked at Jisung next to him. The younger was holding onto his microphone for his dear life ever since the staff gave it to him. To say he was shaking in his boots was an understatement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The nerves are kicking in”, Jisung whispered to Minho and hopped from his left foot to his right foot. “aren’t you nervous?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder nodded. “I am. Just think of the rehearsal this morning, okay? I’m convinced that we’re going to do amazing”, he said and patted Jisung’s back. The younger smiled at him, while fidgeting with the hem of his skirt. “Thank you, Minho. You’re right. </span>
  <em>
    <span>We </span>
  </em>
  <span>are going to do amazing”, he repeated Minho’s sentence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A staff member beckoned them a couple minutes later. Jisung’s hand found a way to Minho’s hand, and gave him a short but tight squeeze. “We can do this”, he whispered. Minho nodded and they walked on stage. A nervous but excited feeling crept up as he saw the enormous crowd in front of them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>A big audience welcoming him and looking at him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t believe it. He’s there, it was actually happening! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at Jisung. Three weeks ago, he was angry and frustrated that he couldn’t stand on this stage on his own. But that didn’t matter to him anymore. This was even better, maybe, to perform on stage with a partner. A friend. Jisung noticed that Minho was looking at him and winked at him. Minho sent him a wink back as he nervously stepped forward. He grabbed his guitar, and waited for the drummer to start. Minho kissed his guitar pick, something he always did before he started a performance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first song went amazing. Minho was proud of Jisung, as he looked at him while Jisung rapped the first verse. His concentrated face broke into a smile as Jisung turned towards him and stepped closer, looking him in the eyes as he kept rapping. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t rehearse this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Minho didn’t mind.</span>
</p><p><span>Jisung introduced themselves after playing Shut Me Up, the first song. “Hi! My name is Jisung, and this is my friend, Minho!” he said and smiled at the audience in front of them. Minho waved, but couldn’t ignore the weird twist his stomach made when the words </span><em><span>my</span></em> <em><span>friend </span></em><span>left Jisung’s lips. It made him smile. He just looked and smiled at Jisung while he listened to him talking to the audience. </span></p><p>
  <span>“... Minho? Our next song?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, uhm, Molly!” he said and smiled. Jisung winked at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their performance flew by fast and they said goodbye to the audience, and walked down the stairs of the venue that led to the little room backstage.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did that! We just did that!” Jisung exclaimed and wrapped his arms around Minho’s middle. The elder was shocked, but he couldn’t do anything besides hugging Jisung back. “I’m so proud of us!” Jisung laughed as he let Minho go. Minho finally smiled as he saw Jisung’s tear-filled eyes. They were not sad tears this time. No, he was happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to say something else, but was shocked when he heard a very familiar voice say “Hey! Minho!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho turned around, and saw his best friends, Felix and Changbin enter the room. “What are you guys doing here?” Minho laughed. He let Jisung go and ran up to his friends. “Surprise!!” Felix laughed and wrapped his arms around Minho. He hugged his friend tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you- were you guys here to watch our guys here to watch our performance”, Minho asked. “Yeah! It was so good!” Changbin complimented the two. Jisung, who had moved to the corner of the room, moved and blushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you are Jisung?” Felix suddenly asked. Jisung looked up and nodded, smiling. “Nice to meet you! Minho has told us a lot about you”, Felix said. He walked over to Jisung and shaked his hand. Jisung hesitated to greet Felix and looked at Minho, who had taken a step back. His cheeks were red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean- told them a lot about me?” Jisung asked. Minho swallowed. “Oops, did I say something wrong?” Felix mumbled. The atmosphere grew awkward and Minho cleared his throat. “Don’t worry, he only told me nice things”, Changbin jumped in, he waved his hand. Felix chuckled when he saw that not only Minho’s cheeks were red, but Jisung was blushing too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felix glanced at Changbin, his expression said enough. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are we going to do now?” Minho said, to change the subject. “I don’t know, maybe we can watch some other performances and dance?” Felix asked. They all agreed and left, joining the other partygoers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to get drinks!” Changbin shouted. Jisung’s eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t- I don’t really drink-” he mumbled, but Changbin laughed and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t get drinks that are too strong”, he said, winked and walked away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A couple of performances and drinks later, Felix and Changbin were getting a little too clingy. Jisung and Minho, who were both not interested in seeing the couple make out, decided to walk away and sit down in the grass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This feels weird”, Minho said, as he laid down in the grass, “I feel like these 3 weeks went by so fast”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung chuckled, he also laid down and stared at the stars in the sky. “Can you remember the day we first met?” he asked. Minho nodded. “I really couldn’t stand you at first”, he said and turned his head, so that he could look at Jisung. The younger smiled. “Me neither, and I really thought that we would despise each other forever”, he mumbled. He then looked Minho into the eyes. “What do you think of me now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder gulped audibly, but sat up and tilted his head slightly, as he thought of what he should say. “Do you want a sincere answer?” he asked. Jisung, who also sat up, nodded quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder's facial expressions didn’t say a thing when he leaned closer and pressed his lips onto Jisung's lips. Jisung’s eyes widened. He wanted to pull back, but Minho softly squeezed his hand and for some reason, Jisung was starting to feel butterflies in his stomach. Minho’s lips, his touch…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But before Jisung could close his eyes and lean in, Minho’s lips disappeared and he shifted backwards. “Uhm- I’m- I’m sorry. I’m tipsy and I can’t think straight. That wasn’t supposed to happen, wasn’t it?”, Minho stammered. He blushed and looked down, his hands clasped together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No- well, I mean… not really”, Jisung mumbled back. There was an awkward silence between the two. The only thing that could be heard was the music and the cheers of the festival in the background.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung’s thoughts were everywhere and nowhere. There was always something that Jisung liked and admired about the elder. It was just that Minho was always being such a dick towards him. But when Minho was nice to him, Jisung could always feel his admiration for him grow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew he had a crush on Minho. He already knew it on the first day. And he could sense that Minho was also feeling something for him, but in what way?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he felt like he was pretty close to unraveling that answer.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yall.... it’s happening ...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>LAST CHAPTER ALREADY??</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The festival had ended, and Minho and Jisung said goodbye to Felix and Changbin (who said they had rented a room in a cheap motel in the area) and went back to their apartment. Minho closed the bedroom door behind him and plopped on his bed with a loud sigh. He leaned back and opened his mouth, wanting to rant about how amazing the evening was. But before he could say anything, Jisung sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, hyung".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho bit his bottom lip, slowly making eye contact with the younger. “Don’t tell me you’re going to act as nothing happened”, Jisung said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Minho mumbled. He didn’t even know why he asked that, since he exactly knew what Jisung was talking about. Jisung grabbed Minho’s shoulders, and pushed him down on the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Min”, Jisung whispered and looked into the elder’s eyes. Minho gulped audibly, as Jisung’s face came closer and closer. “You have a crush on me, don’t you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho’s lips parted, he couldn’t lie this time. Jisung was on top of him and had him, at this point, pinned down. He also actually didn’t want to lie this time, so he said it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do”, Minho admitted. Jisung chuckled. “I knew you were going to confess one day”, he said. “And when will you confess then?” Minho teased the younger, suddenly feeling a lot more confident now that he finally told Jisung what bothered him for so long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I thought you already knew I like you. We kissed just now, at the festival. And I’ve been teasing you for the past week”, Jisung said, finally letting Minho’s wrists go. “Was that all because you knew that I had a crush on you, and you wanted me to confess?” the elder said. He got up and now grabbed Jisung’s wrist. He placed the fingers of his other hand under Jisung’s chin, so that the younger had no other choice but to look Minho in the eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung laughed. “Yes, it was”, he said and pouted his lips. “Oh, and now you’re demanding me to kiss you?” Minho also started laughing. “I am. And you better give me a kiss right now”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The younger laughed and squealed happily as Minho finally pressed his lips onto his. He felt the cold metal of Minho’s lip piercing against his own lips, and closed his eyes. But the kiss didn’t last long, Minho pulled back and Jisung opened his eyes. “Sung, thank you”, Minho suddenly said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung frowned. “Thank you? What are you thanking me for?” he asked, clearly confused. Minho looked down. “I always thought that being in love isn’t necessary, and that I don’t need it to be happy. I blocked myself from it. Every time I felt that strange feeling, I pushed it away and got angry at you, because you were the one who caused it. I hurt you in the process, and I’m sorry for that. I really am”, Minho rambled. He looked down as he was done talking. Jisung looked at Minho with a loving smile on his face, but then started laughing. “I can’t believe that you’re older than me and that I learned you such an important life lesson”, he joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho's lips curled into a pout, and he playfully pushed Jisung. “Shut up”, he laughed. He got closer towards the younger again. “I’m sorry. Can I make it up with another kiss?” Jisung asked. Minho smiled. “Always”, he replied, and Jisung locked their lips together again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment was brutally interrupted when someone knocked on the door. “Who is that?” Jisung mumbled against Minho’s lips, as he pulled back. Minho opened his eyes and was met with Jisung’s flushed face. He glanced at his swollen lips until Jisung got up and walked up to the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened the door and was met with the happy faces of Felix and Changbin. “Hey lovebirds!” Changbin laughed, and stepped inside the apartment as Jisung took a step back. “Bin, stop, it’s not that we-” Minho protested, but Changbin laughed and wrapped one arm around Jisung. “We saw you guys kissing at the festival just now, don’t worry. And as the way you two performed, and both blushing backstage wasn’t enough proof”, he said. He let Jisung go, who was blushing even more than a second ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what are you guys doing here anyway?” Minho asked. “Oh, we asked the manager if we could stay in this apartment complex for a night! We’re taking you home tomorrow, remember?” Felix said and smiled widely. Minho groaned. “But you said you two had rented a room in a motel!” he protested. “Is it that bad that we came to surprise you two?” Changbin asked, but a sudden grin appeared on his face. “Or…” he started, and wiggled his eyebrows. “Do the lovebirds want to spend the night together?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho sent Changbin a dead glare. “Bin, outside. Now. I need to talk to you”, he said in a low, stern voice. But Changbin didn’t stop grinning. “Alright”, he only said and followed Minho outside. “How did you know I have a crush on Jisung?” Minho asked Changbin, who crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “How did </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>know?” Changbin repeated his best friend, and let out a loud chuckle. “You thought I didn’t realize that you’re head over heels for Jisung? You should’ve seen yourself on that stage, staring at him with stars in your eyes. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the audience who thought you two are more than just friends”, he replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looked down, trying to hide his red cheeks. Shit. So everyone had seen him staring at Jisung? God, this is embarrassing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like Changbin read his thoughts, because he wrapped one arm around him and started talking. “Min, you don’t have to be embarrassed about falling in love. Just accept yourself and allow yourself to say that your boyfriend is fucking hot”, he said. Minho laughed. “But he’s not my boyfriend”, he denied. “Not yet. He’s your future boyfriend”, Changbin added, and winked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I completely understand how you feel. I felt the same, until I met Felix. I fell in love with him, and realized that it is completely normal to be in love. It’s not a girly thing”, Changbin said. Minho exhaled. “I always knew I had a preference towards boys, but… I don’t know. It feels weird. But I guess you’re right”, he mumbled. “Of course. I’m always right”, Changbin joked. Minho laughed, and playfully hit Changbin’s chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got back inside, and saw Jisung and Felix sitting together on the couch. They were enthusiastically talking about something. The two were surrounded in Jisung’s comic books and mangas. “Hey guys! I just found out Jisung likes the same comic books as I do!” Felix said and turned around. Jisung nodded with a wide smile on his face. “And our birthdays are just one day apart!” he added.</span>
</p><p><span>Minho smiled at the sight, he didn’t know why. It made him happy to see that his friends and his erm… </span><em><span>future</span></em> <em><span>boyfriend</span></em><span>… were getting along so well. </span></p><p>
  <span>“But Lix, shall we go back to our own room? I think we should give Minho and Jisung their privacy. It’s their last night together”, Changbin said. Jisung glanced at Minho and quickly looked down. “Oh, of course. See you guys tomorrow morning!” Felix said and stood up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait”, Jisung suddenly said and grabbed Felix's wrist. “Can I go home with you guys?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Felix and Changbin looked at each other. “Uhm.. I just don’t want to… say goodbye yet”, Jisung said and his eyes met Minho’s. It stayed silent for a minute, but the silence was quickly interrupted by Changbin’s laugh. “Of course! See you guys tomorrow”, he said, winked, and left the room with Felix.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho looked at Jisung, who smiled slightly. A moment of silence fell. But it didn’t last long, Minho sat down on the couch next to Jisung and grabbed his wrists. Jisung gulped audibly when Minho came closer and whispered “Well, let’s catch up to where we left off” against Jisung’s lips before they both greedily crashed their lips against each other. Minho’s fingers sank into the skin of Jisung’s neck, which made Jisung shiver. He opened his lips and licked Minho’s lips. The elder quickly got the note and also opened his mouth, their tongue’s now greeting each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A breathy moan left Jisung’s lips when they finally pulled back. “You’re- you’re a good kisser”, he whispered and looked down, trying to hide the dark blush on his cheeks. Minho chuckled. The compliment made him feel confident. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes”, Jisung smiled widely, “you are. I’ve always dreamed of this moment”. “That sounds really cheesy”, Minho replied. Jisung laughed shortly and held Minho’s hand. “But I am cheesy. I am a really cheesy boyfriend. Are you ready for that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho stammered, he didn’t know what to say at first after Jisung asked that. “D-do you- d-do you mean what I think you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jisung only laughed. “Yup. I’m in love with you and I want you to be my boyfriend, so that I can be your cheesy clingy boyfriend. Do you accept or deny?” the way he was speaking about it, made it seem like it was an everyday thing they were discussing. Minho swallowed.  He then nodded and smiled. “I accept”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wide smile grew on Jisung’s face as he wrapped his arms around Minho. “Yay!! I’ll never let you go now”, he giggled. Minho playfully pushed Jisung away. “You better give me some space, I am a Scorpio”, he said. Jisung smiled. “I figured”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minho thought about what all happened to him since he had arrived here, as he kissed Jisung again. He never expected to make a friend, let alone fall in love. But it did happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he was glad it happened. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i can't believe this story is already finished :( i had so much fun writing this and reading the comments!! thank you so much for reading and (hopefully, haha) see you soon in the comments of another fic i'm writing! xxx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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